Ft Worth Times

On Tuesday, the Fort Worth City Council approved an application for a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for conducting environmental site assessments and developing cleanup plans for brownfields throughout the city with a special focus on the neighborhoods included within the boundaries of U.S. 287/IH-30, IH-35W, East Berry Street and IH-820 in Fort Worth.

Why it matters: The City Brownfields Program aims to:

• Revitalize abandoned or underutilized sites with environmental contamination.
• Decrease blight, remediate contamination and further encourage redevelopment in the community.

Go deeper: By definition, a brownfield is a property, for which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence (or potential presence) of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

Since 1995, the EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program has grown into a proven, results-oriented program that has changed the way communities address and manage contaminated properties. The EPA has awarded millions of dollars to local governments to enhance local brownfields programs throughout the country.

The program is designed to empower states, tribes, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse brownfields. Using grants and low-interest loans, the Fort Worth Brownfields Program may be able to assist property owners and developers with technical guidance and resources to offset costs for brownfields cleanup activities.

What’s next: If awarded, the 2024 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant would provide a maximum award of $500,000 in funding under the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield Revitalization Act and under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

• This type of grant allows the City to provide direct service to support various public and private land development projects by providing environmental site assessment services, typically before land transactions occur.
• The funds would be eligible for environmental assessment activities citywide within all council districts.

Learn more. Go online or email. Environmental Services staff members are happy to discuss program details with potential applicants for grant or revolving loan opportunities available through the City of Fort Worth Brownfields Program.

Original source can be found here.